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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25967248">This Mission Accomplished Something Other Than Intended</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/demi_gray/pseuds/demi_gray'>demi_gray</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>This Mission... [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Center for Chaos Control, Completing The Mission, Cybernetics, Fanservice, Fluff and Angst, G.A.B.E.N. EGG, Guns, Heist, Hugging, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Language, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Pining, Post-Canon, Revenged Ending, Selectively Mute Character, Selectively Mute Henry, Sleepy Cuddles, Spooning, TRIPLE THREAT, This one's for the gays, Timeline Crossover, Triple Threat Ending, and there was only one bed (oh my god there was only one bed), cartoon violence, characters casually have their powers still, charles is really good at hiding his feelings, cyborg, ellie is there for moral support., henry dreams about other endings, implied neurodivergent character, instance of henry using ASL, mild violence, sad thoughts, slowburn but only because its a oneshot, stickvin rights, they are going to steal things :), theyre all gay i promise</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:41:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,745</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25967248</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/demi_gray/pseuds/demi_gray</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Henry is thinking too hard about himself and what he should do about his attraction to Charles. During a mission he's cornered with the possibility that he might not have a chance to voice his feelings.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Charles Calvin/Henry Stickmin, Everyone &amp; Everyone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>This Mission... [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1887253</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>346</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>This Mission Accomplished Something Other Than Intended</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>i saw a gay ship and went "YOOOOO" so uhhh here lol<br/>i wrote this over the course of two days, somehow. when the motivation hits it really hits</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>      Henry woke in the middle of the night to the darkness, pulled out of an unrelenting nightmare. He yelped softly, the end of his yell sticking in his throat as he jolted awake. Beside him Charles shifted, their backs touching for a moment. Henry flinched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      They were sleeping together in one bed, resting up for a heist in the morning. It was a single-bed room in a motel a few miles from some place called the CCC, and the government wanted </span>
  <em>
    <span>G.A.B.E.N.-EGG</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the rumored-to-be ridiculously overpowered weapon of mass destruction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry shuddered, pulling the blanket closer around his tense shoulders. Yet another dream of him messing up, and Charles dying. Yet another scarily real fantasy of loss, regret, and no chance of retribution. Of falling in more ways than one, more than one time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles rolled over, rubbing his eyes and grumbling. “Stealin’ the...blanket...nrrgh,” he muttered tiredly, tugging weakly at it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry sighed, turning over as well to feed more blanket to Charles’ side of the bed. “Mm,” he hummed simply in reply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry did not talk often, usually only when necessary, like over the phone or if a special move decreed spoken word. Or if he was screaming. Or maybe pleading for his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Or saying, “I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Mean...mean Henry. Thanks,” Charles mumbled, yawning and closing his eyes, back asleep again almost instantaneously. Henry did not have quite the luck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      As his eyes adjusted to the light, he stared at his bedmate. Charles was still wearing his headphones, as he always did to bed from what Henry’d seen. As far as he knew Charles never took them off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      It was somewhat endearing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Always at the ready for communication, near or far away. Always ready to listen, if Henry was to speak. Henry spoke more often around Charles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry finally looked away from the other, embarrassed even though it was pretty obvious Charles was dead to the world. Their faces were closer now that they’d rolled over in order to fix the blanket, and Henry pulled said blanket up over his mouth. His face was warm, and not just from the covers. Gingerly he turned his back to Charles, careful this time to not hog the blanket. He didn't want to deal with these feelings right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      It didn't bode well for him when Charles mumbled something in his sleep and moved, snuggling up close to Henry, trying (and failing) to wrap an arm around him. Henry went beet red, freezing up. Oh no.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles was warm, and the cushioning on his headphones pressed against Henry’s shoulder. One of his hands lay on a shoulder blade, the other flopped haphazardly over Henry’s arm. Oh no.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Mmn...” Henry said, but couldn't get the words out right. “Uh…w…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles, of course, heard none of Henry’s weak protests, and slept right on through it. Henry shifted, heart buzzing in his chest when more of his body rubbed against Charles’.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      But he didn't want to leave. Partly because he'd feel bad waking Charles up again, but mostly because he liked it a little too much. He groaned, huffing and giving in to the predicament. It was less likely one of them would fall off the bed if they stuck close together, anyway, he told himself. Charles didn't mean anything by this. This was just...just some friends settling down for the night. Human interaction like this was essential to building good relationships of all kinds, so…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry closed his eyes, sighing not quite contentedly. There was a knee digging into his thigh.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>      Henry was always the first to wake, eager to get the day started. At home he was always up to get a good look at the local news and feed his urges to rob a bank, or something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Today his sleeping habits proved to be true, as he woke completely tangled with Charles in a human knot. They were facing each other again, Henry’s face in Charles’ chest and the microphone of the headphones irritating the top of his head. Hurriedly he withdrew himself, rolling off of the bed and knocking the breath out of his lungs when he hit the carpet. He heard Charles mumbling something as he stood, brushing himself off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Hng?” Charles said, sitting up and fixing his headphones, eyes hardly open. The disentanglement had woken him. “M’cold now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Uh,” said Henry. “Whoops.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles blinked a few times, smacking his lips. “...you woke me up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Well, uh, I now have this lovely blanket all to myself, so I don't know about you, but…” He lifted the covers, rolling over and snuggling under them. “Don't be too loud.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry snorted out a semblance of a giggle. Henry was quiet by default, almost too quiet sometimes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles didn't seem to realize what had happened overnight, and Henry was thankful for it, not wanting to have a discussion about the involuntary spooning and subsequent snuggling. It was a normal human thing to be drawn towards others in your sleep, of course, so it would be easy to explain away if asked, but Henry wasn't good with words. He would stumble over them and mess it up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      He knew Charles was forgiving with this, and that he didn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>need</span>
  </em>
  <span> to speak to him to get the point across, but there was always that speck of anxiety in his chest that didn't go away. The nightmares that were fuzzy in his mind didn't help, but he took into account that after Charles had cozied up next to him, he hadn't had another that night. Maybe if he told him about the nightmares, and…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      No no, Henry, that was being too hopeful. Once again, the problem with words stuck him like a needle into a weather balloon at sunset.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      But right now, the sun was </span>
  <em>
    <span>rising</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and in a few hours the General would be knocking down the door and yelling at them if they didn't get a move-on. Henry walked to the mini-fridge in the room, opening it and seeing what breakfast rations had been handed out to them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Inside the lunch-box were several bakery items and scrambled eggs, all cold. There was no microwave in this room, but Henry wasn't against eating a muffin at room temperature. So he did, paging through the booklet of local eateries, shops and entertainment centers that sat on the small nook table in the corner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      He idly wondered which would be the best to have a date at, but moved on from the thought after a moment. It wasn't professional of him to indulge in those kinds of things when he was practically on a mission already with his partner in un-crime. Not that Henry didn’t consider going back to the easy route, stealing coins and jewels, but he decided he was happier here. Working with Charles...oh, and, um, Ellie too. And the General.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Regardless, working with Charles, he decided, was much more enjoyable than going on his own. He worked excellently independently, sure, but got lonely. He’d never go on a solo mission again as long as Charles was there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry was brought back to his nightmares, which, although continuing to fade, hit him right in the heart when he thought of them. Charles dying, and Henry being alone again. It was a truckload of emotions that he could hardly control, and he just managed to stifle a choked sob. What if Charles died today? What if Henry never got to confess his feelings? What if it was all for nothing?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Shhh,” Henry muttered to himself, shaking his head. No, no. He needed to think of better things. He was better than this. He looked across the room to where Charles’ head and headphones poked out of the blanket and sighed. It was tempting to wake up the other for a chat to keep Henry’s mind off of the more horrid thoughts, but then he just felt selfish again. He figured that, although Charles was very forgiving to him, it wouldn’t be very nice to make him lose sleep on the day of a mission.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      So Henry sat and waited, wiping muffin crumbs from the tabletop.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>      Charles woke an hour and a half later, making a big fuss about getting out of bed and complaining about insignificant things. Henry couldn’t help but laugh, moving across the room and dramatically flinging the bedsheets off of his partner. Charles whined like a kid, making grabby-hands with little ambition.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Going soon,” Henry told him sternly, waggling a finger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles grumbled something about beauty sleep and yawned, swinging his legs around to stand up off of the bed. “This bed kinda sucks,” he commented, pressing down on the mattress and hearing the springs squeak noisily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry shrugged, not sure if he should agree or not. It was more comfortable to sleep when Charles was there. Worth it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “What'd they give us for grub?” Charles asked, sauntering towards the fridge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Starch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Ah, the deceiving baked good,” Charles chuckled, peering inside the lunch-box and selecting some eggs and toast. “Lovingly cold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Mhm.” Henry sat back down at the table, where he’d begun to take apart the pamphlet and make them into paper cranes and airplanes. Not like he had anything better to do! Charles plopped down across from him, being careful to not get his own crumbs onto the table and Henry’s crafts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      They sat in relative silence, Henry choosing not to speak and Charles being polite for once and not talking with his mouth full. Only the crinkle of shiny paper could be heard in the motel room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      A knock on the door popped the bubble, and Charles looked over his shoulder, calling “Come in!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      In marched General Galeforce, Ellie hot on his heels with a half-loaded handgun in her hands. The General didn't comment on this, but Henry cringed at the woman’s fumbling of the cartridges. “Oh boy,” he muttered under his breath, although Charles was probably the only one to hear it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “What's the scoop?” Charles asked, leaning an elbow on the table and sending a finger-gun Ellie’s way. She returned his greeting by pointing her real gun at him. Henry suppressed the urge to jump in front of Charles to take a bullet or so.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “We move out in fifteen,” Galeforce said. “Make sure you have your communicators at the ready; this is no field trip!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Never said it was, Sir,” Charles grinned. Henry saluted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I'll make sure they get their butts ready, General,” Ellie promised. Charles and Henry glared at her, practically pouting. “We’ll be outside ASAP.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Loving the encouragement,” Charles told her sarcastically once Galeforce had exited the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Can’t trust a couple of old men to get up on their own,” she replied, spinning her gun on one finger. “I slept like crap, how about you all?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry shrugged, and Charles enunciated his experience with some colorful words, finishing with, “...basically, the bed sucks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Guess we’re all going into this mission sleep-deprived. I don't see why we couldn't just set up a camp like usual,” Ellie huffed, sheathing her gun in the belt around her waist. “I can't use the Force when I’m tired.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Hope you don't fall asleep at the wheel,” Henry told Charles quietly, brushing his papercrafts to the side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Ah, I’ll be fine!” Charles assured him, reaching across the table to pat Henry’s hand (Henry blushed). “I've flown under worse conditions!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Oh, the General didn't let you know?” Ellie asked, a smirk on her face. “We’re not flying in.” Charles and Henry stared blankly at Ellie, Charles looking particularly disappointed. “Hey Henry, are you still good at driving that tank?”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>      “Ugh, dry sand,” Charles grimaced, sitting atop the white tank and spitting whenever grit got in his mouth. “The worst enemy of landing a helicopter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Yeah, I can’t see anything either,” Ellie muttered, shielding her eyes as they rolled over the dry desert in the tank. She stood beside Henry within the tank, peering over the edge. “You sure you don't want to hop in too? Your headphones are gonna erode.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “No no, I'm getting some fresh air,” Charles insisted without much volition.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Ellie huffed, nudging Henry. Henry did not argue, and together they reached up and grabbed Charles, dragging him into the safety of the tank’s belly. “Ow!” said Charles, struggling to stand up properly in the cramped space. “This is worse!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “No, it isn't,” Ellie told him sternly. “You’re fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Hmph.” Charles stood on his toes and looked on ahead. “Still can’t see anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry pinned his arms to his sides, trying not to touch anyone else in the tank, especially Charles. He reached down to their supplies bag and retrieved the sand goggles; he wasn’t sure why they hadn’t all put them on earlier. He passed them out and soon they all looked like half-price scuba divers riding into the sandstorm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      The communicator in his pocket buzzed, and Charles tilted his head, pressing some buttons on his headphones to pick up the call as well. “Team!” General Galeforce called through the device and headset. “You’re getting close to the CCC facility!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Got it,” Ellie said, slowing down the advancement of their tank.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “We have word that they’re keeping the EGG below the building,” Galeforce went on. “Your best bet to get in is the discreet way. This place has a ridiculous amount of vents, and as far as we know, they connect the whole place together. Find your way down to the storage vaults, and get the EGG any way you can.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Yessir!” Charles and Ellie said, and Henry saluted with a “Hm!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I’m counting on you!” Galeforce signed off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “More vent-crawling, huh?” Ellie huffed, smoothing back her hair. “Try not to bump your headphones against the top, Charles.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I’ll, uh, do my best.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>      They stopped the tank on a dune some half-a-mile from the facility. The sandstorm had let up, and the large building was now visible. It was surrounded by a fence topped with barbed-wire. Classic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “There are mounted turrets,” Ellie observed. “Definitely calls for a sneaky mission. They look manual, though.” She turned to Henry. “Whaddaya say? You’re technically the leader here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry thought a moment. Then, he held out one palm up flat, and mimed tip-toeing with his other hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “It’s settled then,” Charles said, grinning. He held out a hand. “Ready to do this?” The other two laid their hands on top of his, and they chanted “Triple Threat!” a few times before tossing their hands into the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Let’s get this EGG.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      After crawling painstakingly through the hot sand, a tan-colored blanket draped over them, they finally made it into the grounds. The next task was to get through the fence. There were, surprisingly, no alarms detected; Charles figured it was because the place was so remote and unknown that the CCC didn’t care.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Maybe it was just bad level design.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry shifted forward, signalling to the others to move out of the way. He cracked his knuckles, then extended his hands. Henry hadn’t used his earthbending in a while, finding little use in day-to-day life, but he used it now. The ground under the fence rumbled, then lifted, bending the metal to all hell and creating a tunnel underneath. Henry stepped under the rocks, beckoning his companions through. They dashed under the fence, and Henry let go, the rocks dragging the fence back down. It still looked pretty bent up, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “There are some ground vents here, for whatever reason,” Ellie said, looking at a map of the outside complex on her communicator. “There’s one just around the corner.” The three skittered across the hard dirt, peering around the corner. A guard stood idly; the vent was by a door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Great,” Ellie muttered. “What’ve we got?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry immediately took out a grappling hook.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Well, we </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> get in through the roof,” Charles shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry aimed around the corner and threw the hook, catching the guard by the neck and slamming them into the ground. Mission accomplished?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Uh, that works too,” Charles muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      They tiptoed over and Ellie unscrewed the vent cover, everyone scurrying inside. Henry was not exactly thrilled to be crawling behind Charles for various reasons. Soon they came to a fork in the vents.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Okay,” Ellie whispered. “You guys find a way deeper into the facility. I’m going to make my way to the main office and see if I can find anything on where they’re keeping the EGG. Are you all good with that?” Two nods, and Ellie nodded back, crawling down one vent. “Look for an elevator,” she whispered to them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Welp,” Charles sighed. “Always taking the initiative. Let’s go. Lead the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry nodded, scooting past Charles to begin their trek. Several times they stopped to peer through vent openings; one was above a break room, and the two saw a person in a CCC hat sipping coffee. Another led to a bathroom. Charles and Henry took one glance at that one before hurriedly moving on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Aha,” Henry murmured, carefully removing the vent cover as he spoke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Found one?” Charles whispered, shimmying up to look over Henry’s shoulder. Henry nodded, glad the other couldn’t see his warming face in the darkness of the vent. He was a little too close for comfort. “Nice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Silently they hopped down to the ground from the vent after checking that no one was around and slid into the elevator.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I’m betting the lower levels are only accessible if you have a keycard or something.” Charles debated, his suspicions confirmed when he tried clicking on buttons for the various basement floors with no result. Henry hummed, and Charles stepped aside for him. He leant down and brought a little kit out from...somewhere and began to poke around inside the panel. Soon he had half of the wires out and pressed one of the buttons. The elevator moved after a moment and they were on their way down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles fiddled with his headphones. “Come in. How’s it on your end, Ellie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Nothing yet. I’ll get back to ya.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Gotcha. Charles out.” He sighed, leaning against the corner of the small room. “We might have to sit out for a hot minute until Ellie gets some info.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry nodded. It wasn’t so bad to be stuck in an elevator with Charles. Well, maybe it was. Decision on </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>one pending.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      The elevator dinged, and Charles and Henry peeked out of the doorway. “Maybe we can find something else,” Charles whispered, and pointed. On the ceiling was a little sign with labels and arrows; one said “Technology Center.” “If info on the EGG is gonna be anywhere, it’ll be there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry looked at the sign, then nodded. “Hm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      They were off, skirting through the facility and peering into windows. They kept following the signs and, without much resistance (surprising and suspicious; both men were on their toes), they finally arrived at what looked to be the Tech Center.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Ready?” Charles asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry nodded, putting on a determined face. “Yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      They were about to step through the doors when they were interrupted by a “Stop!!!” Both of them wheeled around, hands searching for a weapon. None were available; they’d had to ditch some of the heavier stuff in the vents for time and room. Henry stared at the confronter. They were wearing a full suit, and not the fancy dress kind: this was one that included a big ‘ol helmet and plenty of places to stick a weapon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      A name entered Henry’s head.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      Phantom</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Intruders, eh?” the Phantom said, pointing their rifle at them. “Wondered what’d shown up on the radar.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles and Henry raised their arms above their heads.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Their pursuer looked them up and down, and then a lightbulb appeared over their head. “Oh, it’s you!” the Phantom nodded knowingly, relaxing their posture a bit. “Can’t say I’m surprised. Hey Chief,” they said, pressing a button on their helmet. “Found the intruders. It’s the Stickmin guy again...yep, I know. Got it.” They turned their attention back to Henry and Charles, hefting their gun. “Only one thing left to do, then. Sorry about this, but you know how it goes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “W-wait!” Charles yelped, stepping back. Henry grabbed his hand instinctively, and Charles did not let go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry’s life flashed before his eyes for a few moments. His dreams and nightmares came back to him, flooding his head with emotion. Tears filled his eyes. They had no weapons, nothing left to fight against the Phantom with. This was it, then.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      If only he’d done something else, something sooner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      A twinge of guilt hit him, and he knew he didn’t even have time to tell Charles that he loved him. A fuzziness rose in his head, and then he felt...something else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      The Phantom hesitated. “Whoa, whoa, now what’s going on?” they asked. “What is—” The shine of metal flashed in their vision, and they were slammed into the ground by a hard, steel fist. “Oh no...” Their head tilted back, unconscious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Elsewhere in the facility, Mr. Clyde Jenkins picked up a spike in activity on the radar. “Oh boy. The corporal’s gonna want to see this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry stood over the Phantom, shards of their power-suit stuck on the metal of his left hand. He looked at it. He had </span>
  <em>
    <span>seen </span>
  </em>
  <span>this hand in his nightmares.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Holy…” Charles said breathlessly, pasted against the back wall in shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Charles?” Henry asked, turning to look. “I, um…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles peeled himself from the wall, catching his breath. “What happened?” he asked shakily. “Have you always…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry shook his head. “Um,” he said. “I don’t know how I…” He inspected his metal hand...no, arm again, flexing his robotic fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles approached, seemingly unafraid. “Your back changed too,” he said, and Henry twisted around to look. Yes, there was a strip of metal down his spine now as well. “D’you think it has something to do with this place?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Dunno,” Henry muttered. “I just…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles lay a hand on Henry’s shoulder. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he assured the other. “You’re still kicking, aren’tcha?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry nodded. “I just…” he tried again. “I didn’t want us to...um…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I know,” Charles nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Charles, I...I want to tell you something. In...in case I can’t later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles frowned. “Are you sure it can’t wait? We need to get out of here and fast.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry shook his head. “Gotta tell you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Okay. What is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry swallowed. “I-I…” He whimpered a little, tears returning to his eyes. “I, um, I really like you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles blinked. “Like...romantically?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry nodded, blushing brightly. “Yeah…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Oh.” Charles did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>withdraw, scratching the back of his head. “I, uh, can’t say I was expecting that.” He sighed. “Henry, if we get out of this, do you want to get coffee sometime, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry wiped his eyes with his unchanged hand. “A date?” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      So Henry nodded again. “Okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles hesitated, then leant in and gave Henry a peck on the cheek. “We, uh, really need to get going now,” he muttered, pulling away with a red face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry nodded, a smile forming on his face. He touched his cheek with a hand, then turned to the task at hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “So much for the EGG,” Charles huffed. He pulled the rifle off of the Phantom and examined it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Don’t,” Henry said hurriedly, a memory entering his head of a ridiculous explosion and stupid amount of nuclear radiation. “Bomb.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles looked at the rifle. “This thing shoots bombs?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Nuclear bombs. Leave it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles raised a brow, but set the gun down. “I’m going to take your word for it,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m not doubting you right now. No chances.” Henry nodded. “I’ll take the handgun instead,” Charles decided. He looked to Henry and extended a hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry held out his arm, then pulled it back, hesitating. For it to work he would have to use his newly-robotic hand to hold Charles’, and it made him nervous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “It’s ok,” Charles said, stepping forward and intertwining his fingers with Henry’s metal ones. “Let’s get out of here. We need to find Ellie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry nodded hurriedly, and they were off. The Chaos Control headquarters was, unsurprisingly and ironically, in a state of chaos as the three intruders were hunted down. Most of the guards were easy to take down, but Henry soon regretted not making sure that the powerful Phantom was dead, because they were quickly face-to-face with the damaged but still very kicking Phantom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Clever of you, pulling a form from a different timeline,” they said, hefting a different weapon this time; Charles and Henry were not relieved that it wasn’t a nuclear bomb launcher. “Won’t help you. You’re causing us a lot of trouble with that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Different timeline?” Charles whispered, and Henry shrugged. “What do you mean, different timeline?” he asked louder, acting as casually as he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Uh, well,” said the Phantom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I mean, if you’re going to kill us anyway, why not enlighten us beforehand?” Charles reasoned, meeting Henry’s eyes and winking fearfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Oh, sure,” the Phantom nodded, but kept their weapon trained. “Yeah. See, the multiverse is a real thing,” they explained. “In an alternate timeline, Henry here got some sort of augmentation. I don’t know the details, doesn’t matter. Seems he pulled from that timeline to bring those augmentations to him here. Don’t know how he did it,” they went on, shrugging. “But our timeline-tracking machines may have enabled him. We’ll have to get work on fixing that. Thanks for letting us know about that!” they smiled cheerfully, nodding to Henry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry smiled forcefully, giving a strained thumbs-up. He was thinking hard, trying to recall anything from his nightmares—no, memories: memories from a different Henry. He was feeling through the new parts of his body, looking for something that could get them out of this. Clearly he could pack a punch with his hard steel arm, but…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      And then it clicked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      The Phantom adjusted their grip on their weapon. “Anyway,” they said. “I hope that made sense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Oh, it did!” Charles nodded, glancing at Henry again. “Very informative. Lovely. Super interesting. Who knew that could happen?” he stalled desperately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Isn’t it?” the Phantom nodded. “Well, that’s it, then! Gotta...gotta kill you now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry cupped his metal hand to his chest, and opened his mouth, forcing himself to speak, hoping his sudden lack of silence would catch the enemy off-guard while he charged up an attack. “I-I understand,” he said. “Maybe, um, maybe in another timeline...I kill you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      The Phantom flinched, but answered. “Could be. Doesn’t matter here, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Okay,” Henry shrugged awkwardly, trying to look timid. It wasn’t hard. Then, abruptly, ruthlessly, he flung out a ball of energy from his hand. It hit the Phantom full force, knocking them back into a counter and frying them to a crisp. He turned to look back at Charles. “Guess I, uh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>kill them,” he tried to joke. He was never very good at jokes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “...guess you did,” Charles nodded, clearly becoming hesitant to hold Henry’s very powerful, laser-shooting hand. “That was close there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Sorry. I...I had to try and remember.” Henry twiddled the fingers of his left hand. “I have...dreams sometimes. Of this kind of stuff.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “‘Alternate timelines?’” Charles guessed, and Henry nodded. “You’re lucky you did, then,” he decided.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry held out his less-scary hand and Charles shifted his gun to his other, grateful that Henry had picked up on his apprehensiveness. They kept going.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Charles! Charles, do you copy?” Ellie’s voice could be heard even to Henry through Charles’ headset.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I copy!” Charles responded hurriedly. “Where are you? We need to abort!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I’m with you on the retreating,” Ellie agreed. “I’ve found the main office, and the EGG isn’t here according to these files. It was a false lead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Damn!” Charles swore. “We’ll make your way to you. Are there windows?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Plenty. Probably the only ones in the whole facility. Planning on crashing through ‘em?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Yeah. I’ll call in a ‘copter. Emergency rescue. Oh—” Henry tugged on Charles' arm and gestured to his back, flapping a hand. “Ok, wait, stand by, Ellie. What is it, Hen’?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Can fly now. Better chance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Okay, nevermind on calling the cavalry,” Charles relayed. “Henry has a plan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Good,” Ellie laughed. “I’ll be waiting. Hurry up, too, I don’t know how safe I am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “We will. Hang in there. Charles out.” He glanced at Henry as they ran, ducking behind things to avoid detection. “You can fly now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Mhm,” Henry nodded. “Part of...roboty things. ‘ll get us out of here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Good enough,” Charles shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “...I liked the nickname,” Henry muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Charles stifled a giggle. “Also good,” he grinned. He looked around the corner of the hallway they’d stopped in, and aimed, sniping a few guards with precision reflecting his experience in the field. “Clear!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      They dashed across the room, and Henry kicked through a sliding door that wouldn’t open. Conveniently, they almost passed by a mall-esque map of the base. “Isn’t that nice,” Charles commented.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      The place was huge. Uncountable floors with uncountable rooms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Ah, great,” Charles grumbled, skimming the glowing screen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry grumbled something, then ripped off the side of the rectangular structure, shoving his robotic hand inside and digging around a moment. He felt his hand morph into something new and he plugged in. After a few moments downloading he pulled away, stumbling, blinking and shaking his head. Having data ported into your brain was disorienting, he decided. “Oog,” he muttered. “Map in head. Let’s go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Take the lead.” Charles said unquestioningly, grabbing Henry’s hand again. The two of them were becoming more comfortable with touch as they went. Henry led on, pulling Charles along as he knew exactly where to go now. They took some back hallways, where, Henry explained, they were less likely to be seen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      They barged into the main office, startling Ellie. She let out a breath. “Oh, only you guys,” she said, relieved. “What’s this plan of yours, Henry?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry held out his hands to the two of them. “Hold tightly,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Ellie reached for a hand, but hesitated, noticing the new augmentations. She didn’t get to say anything, though, because Charles beat her to it. “Wait,” he said, addressing Henry. “Um, in case we don’t get out of this one, too...” he told him, then stepped forward, kissing Henry full on the lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Oh, great,” Ellie muttered sarcastically, covering her eyes and grimacing. “Make it quick, guys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      The two men pulled away from each other forlornly, Henry’s words that he really, </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually </span>
  </em>
  <span>wanted to say catching in his throat. “Yeah, um, right,” Charles said, grasping Henry’s metal hand tightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “What happened to you, dude?” Ellie asked Henry, taking his normal hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry shook his head. “J-just hold tight,” he made very clear, and rooted his feet firmly in the ground. Jet wings sprouted from the metal on his back and the engines on them roared to life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Whoa,” Ellie said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Yeah,” Charles agreed, tightening his grip on Henry’s hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry jumped off of the ground, kicking through the window seconds before the three of them hit it. Away they all flew, clinging to Henry’s hands until their knuckles were white. Oh, wait…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Shots rang out behind them, and Henry prayed that they wouldn’t send out any nukes. They didn’t, but Ellie was hit in the leg and Charles almost let go of Henry. Henry flew faster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      They went out of range of the facility in moments, sweeping over the sands and heading for the encampment. The tank had been left behind. “Almost there,” Henry assured his companions. “Almost there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      They all but crashed down in front of the tents, Henry feeling something off again with his body. He dropped Charles and Ellie’s hands, falling onto his knees and breathing hard. Charles got to his feet quickly and glanced at Ellie. She was grimacing at the bullet wound in her leg, but nodded towards Henry. Charles smiled a thanks and hurried to Henry, kneeling down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Are you okay?” he asked worriedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Henry did not answer, breathing ragged breaths. His breath hitched for a moment and then, quickly, the metal on his body shed off like a shell, breaking into dust and blowing away in the wind, lost in the sands. Henry blew out, body relaxing. “Ow,” he muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “We must be too far away from whatever was going on at the CCC,” Charles said with relief. “Are you okay?” he asked again. Henry nodded. “Phew.” Charles planted a hurried kiss on Henry’s forehead and stood, turning to pick up the wounded Ellie in his arms. Henry rose slowly, leant with hands on knees and catching his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      It wasn’t long before medics and General Galeforce ran out to meet them. “Darn! No EGG?” he asked, and Charles shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “It wasn’t even at the site,” Ellie explained, voice strong for one presumably in a lot of pain. She winced as she was lowered into a stretcher. “I think it was a false lead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Dagnabbit!” Galeforce stomped a foot. “I’m betting we were set up,” he growled. “I’m firing my inside man asap!” He turned to Charles and Henry. “Are either of you harmed as well?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “No sir,” Charles affirmed, Henry shaking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “At least there’s that,” the General sighed. “Return to your things and pack up. We’re getting out of here within the hour.” He was saluted and dismissed them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “That mission was no fun,” Charles sighed as they made their way back to the supplies tent; they’d be stopping by the motel to pick up anything left there (not like they had) later on, but for now the two of them had the tent to themselves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “...was ok,” Henry shrugged. “Not all bad.” He met Charles’ eyes, and they both blushed, smiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “...yeah,” Charles nodded. “It wasn’t all that way, you’re right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Mm.” Henry picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “...can I kiss you again?” he asked quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Uh,” Charles said, fumbling with his own things. “If you want to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Okay.” Henry came forward and the two of them embraced after an awkward moment of Charles making sure he wouldn’t drop his bag. The kiss was on the lips again, and they took their time with this one. The guilty knot in Henry’s chest finally let up, melting like he was melting into Charles’ arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Maybe it really would be okay.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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